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Portchester Castle, 18th century
Portchester Castle from the lake
The Bugle, West Street, Fareham
Castle Street, Portchester
Castle Street, Portchester
St Mary's Church, Portchester
St Mary's Church, Portchester
Fareham County Primary School, Fareham
Election results, Fareham, early 20th century
Boarhunt
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| Portchester Castle and Barracks, Portchester, early 19th century |
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| Brief Description: View of barracks with soldiers on guard, outbuildings and keep of castle, Portchester, early 19th century. |
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| Subject Date: Early 19th century |
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| Creator: Copied by: Dine, Derek; Hampshire County Library; |
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| Owner: Hampshire Library and Information Service |
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| Contributor: Hampshire Library and Information Service |
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| Full Description: During the 18th century, Britain was involved in a number of wars which were to last until the beginning of the 19th century. The practice had been to exchange prisoners on a one to one basis but with the increasing number of prisoners, this proved impossible. In 1740 for the next seventy years, Portchester Castle was used as a prison. Both the keep and the Assheton Tower were used to accommodate prisoners but these proved inadequate so rows of wooden, two storeyed dormitories were built within the Roman walls. Outside the wooden military barracks of the Military Guard were built and stood between Waterside Lane and the moat outside Portchester Castle. Because the prison was badly overcrowded, it needed a large detachment of guards, at one time numbering two thousand.
Despite the overcrowding, the prison was regarded by the French as being one of the better prisons. The prisoners were encouraged to take up useful employment and about 3000 of them took up lace making while many carved boxes and pictures from bones saved from their meals. A market was held within the prison. In the mornings, the people of Portchester were allowed in the castle to sell food and drink.
The castle was cleared for lunch at noon and in the afternoon the castle was opened again and the prisoners sold their wares. A fence running from the Land Gate and Water Gate kept the prisoners separated form the local people. Prisoners with nothing to sell entertained the crowd with juggling, acrobatics etc in order to make some money. There was even a theatre in the basement of the keep where plays, operas and musical entertainments were put on.
Most of the prisoners were repatriated to France in 1814 at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. However many stayed in England and became naturalised British subjects. The last prisoners to leave were Americans who had been left at the prison even though the 1812 war with America had been over for some time. Today the barracks are gone.
References:
1. Barber, Eric James. 1982. Story of Portchester Castle.
2. Emery, John. 1985. Fareham in old picture postcards, p. 90.
Copy photograph of an engraving. |
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| Place: Portchester, Fareham Borough, Hampshire |
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| Subject: castle, Portchester Castle, building, keep, barracks, tower, Assheton Tower, prison, gate, land, water, military, soldier, guard, Military Guard, uniform, prisoner of war, street, Waterside Lane |
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| Content Type: Photograph |
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| Location: Fareham Library |
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| Local Ref: 327/17/1 |
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| Unique ID: hs-hl-hs2360-i-00-000.jpg |
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| IPR: Hampshire Library and Information Service - Hampshire County Council |
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